Hearts and Flowers
by Batwings79
Summary: Slightly AU one-shot: A 2013 Valentine's Day Challenge – Was Isobel right, not to risk her friendship with Dr. Clarkson at the Thirsk Fair last summer? How will that decision affect her Valentine's Day now that there may be someone else?


_**A/N: We needed a bit of a push to get the creative juices flowing again so Onesimus and I decided to challenge each other to write a one-shot for Valentine's Day this year. The criteria were that it was to be set in the 1920's, it would need to include the use of at least one invention/innovation (toaster, hoover, x-rays, telephone, etc), hearts/flowers, and song lyrics or a poem (could be as simple as 'Roses are red…'). Onesimus was to write CarsonxHughes and here I offer you my entry to the challenge on ClarksonxCrawley. I hope you enjoy it…**_

_**Many thanks to Kouw for giving the first draft the beta-treatment!**_

_**Disclaimer: All characters are the creation of Julian Fellowes and belong to ITV/Carnival…with the exception of the grown up Toby Miner who is all mine. No copyright infringement is intended…just some Valentine's Day joy to be spread!**_

* * *

He'd felt foolish when she called him Gunga Din and told him that all she wanted was friendship from him when he'd taken her to the fair…

And then he'd felt even more foolish when he saw the regret on her face as she turned away from him at the hospital after he'd thanked her for saving him the embarrassment…

How could he have misread the signals so badly, he'd thought to himself and was certain that her reaction would herald the end of _everything_…but they'd managed to work through it and had grown closer as colleagues and even as good friends.

She had returned to the village hospital to work and became the liaison with the teaching hospital in York, providing a training and residency program for young nurses and doctors. She had deftly negotiated spaces for half a dozen nurses to train at the village hospital and managed to talk the board into giving up one of the small ward rooms on the second floor to be used as a nurse's dormitory. And to keep every semblance of propriety in the hospital, she had talked _him_ into housing the two new resident doctors in the spare bedroom of his cottage.

In exchange, she had him to dinner at Crawley House every Thursday after the hospital board meeting and every Sunday after church. He, in turn, would take her with him on Tuesday afternoons when he made his weekly housecalls on the elderly and infirm in the village and they would go to dinner at the Grantham Arms before he escorted her home in the evening.

There were some in the village that wondered why they _didn't_ get married as so many people their age did, more for convenience than any true passion, but it was soon taken for granted that they were the best of friends and that's all there was to it.

The seasons changed and Christmas had come and gone and along with it, the New Year. It was turning out to be a wet and wintry February and Richard was not looking forward to being in and out of the weather as he made his housecalls with Isobel later in the week. Hearing his two charges laughing in the kitchen, he turned away from the bedroom window where he'd been watching the sleet melting down the glass panes and made his way downstairs for breakfast.

"What has you two in stitches this morning?" he asked with a raised eyebrow as he poured himself a cup of tea.

"Nothing, Dr. Clarkson," grunted Dr. Darcy, suddenly interested in his own shoes. Richard turned a baleful eye on Dr. Blair while he stirred the milk into his tea.

Young Dr. Blair was always the one to break first under Richard's daunting scrutiny and soon he was blathering, "We went over to do the morning rounds and there was a big bunch of flowers at the nurse's station."

"It is not unusual for patients to receive flowers while they are in the hospital Dr. Blair," Richard replied drily.

"That's just it," giggled Dr. Blair from beside him, "They weren't for a patient."

"One of the nurses then? It is Valentine's Day after all."

The two young men looked at each other and burst into unrestrained laughter. "You could say that sir," said Dr. Blair, "The were for Mrs. Crawley!"

"The card said they were from a _secret_ admirer," snorted Dr. Darcy in another burst of giggles.

"That's enough," warned Richard as he glared over the top of his teacup. "You shouldn't be reading other peoples notes."

"But sir," exclaimed Dr. Darcy, "it was pinned to the ribbon, big as you please, where anyone could read it."

"Be that as it may, it still isn't funny," said Richard firmly, "Mrs. Crawley is a warm and wonderful woman and it's not surprising that…_someone_…might take an interest in her. I want you two to be respectful and mind your manners, do I make myself clear?"

"Yes, sir!" they replied sharply. Looking at each other, Dr. Darcy mouthed the word "Jealous?" behind Richard's back as he went out the door and Dr. Blair shrugged his shoulders and shook his head.

-o O o-

They had taken to sharing an office and the first thing he noticed when he walked through the door was the dozen long stemmed red roses sitting in a cut crystal vase upon her desk. He sat his satchel down in his own deskchair and walked over to hang his coat on the hook by the door.

"A bit too early for roses in your garden, isn't it?" he asked innocently.

"They were delivered from the nursery this morning," she said with a smile.

"Oh? From Matthew?"

"No," she said shyly, "the card just says from an _admirer_." Realizing that she had been daydreaming, she turned her chair to face him and engage in the conversation. "They are probably from a patient, to say thank you. I think I'll take them out to the ward later when we make our rounds."

Richard shuffled the stack of charts on his desk requiring his attention, "In an hour then?"

She nodded in reply and turned back to her own paperwork. He found he was having a hard time concentrating and glanced up from the charts to find her staring at the roses with a faraway look and a soft smile on her face. Despite her protests, he thought she was flattered by the attention and wondered what she was thinking. Then they both turned to look at the old mantel clock he kept on the bookshelf as it began to ring the hour.

With a deep sigh, he closed the chart in front him and said, "I don't seem to be making much progress here, perhaps we should go out and do our rounds?"

"Neither am I, what say I arrange for sandwiches from the kitchen at lunch and I'll meet you on the ward in ten minutes."

"Good plan," he chuckled and rose from his desk as she reached for the vase with the flowers. "Those were delivered to you, you should enjoy them. At least for a day or two…"

"Perhaps you're right," she replied wistfully and set the vase back down on her desk.

-o O o-

Rounds were uneventful and they arrived back in the office to find a tray piled high with sandwiches, two dishes of apple tart and the makings for a fresh pot of tea. Richard had stepped over to turn on the electric kettle when he heard her gasp and turned to find her holding a small package tied with a large white bow.

He raised a questioning eyebrow and she responded, "Chocolates…from an _admirer_."

He laughed and stepped over to stand beside her. "You've no idea who it might be?" he asked turning the card that was pinned to the ribbon, "Do you not recognize the handwriting?" She just looked at him silently and shook her head from side to side. "Looks as though your admirer has good taste, I heard Dr. Blair complaining about having to pay a pretty penny for a similar box to take home to his mother this weekend."

She looked up at him with widened eyes and asked, "These couldn't possibly be…"

"No, no, Dr. Blair has already gone home for the weekend and taken Dr. Darcy with him."

"Thank goodness! You had me worried there for a moment, student crushes…" her voice trailed off with a shudder as she sank down into her chair.

The kettle began to whistle and he walked over to wet the tea and place a sandwich on a plate for her. "That reminds me, with both Dr. Darcy and Dr. Blair off, I'll need to tend to the afternoon patients over in the cottage office."

"Thank you," she said quietly as he set the plate and cup down in front of her. "I have a class with the student nurses this afternoon but I think we'll be just fine without you."

"Och! You wound me! The least you could do is miss me a little," he said jokingly, allowing his brogue to thicken a bit.

"I only meant that you shouldn't worry about the hospital, the nurses can handle themselves and you're right next door if anything should come up."

"I know what you meant," he said with a resigned sigh and returned to his desk. "I think I'll take these charts over to the cottage so that I can prepare for my patients." He tied several of the sandwiches into a napkin and placed them in his satchel along with the patient charts. He reached for his coat and hat and said, "I'll drop by on Sunday morning to walk you to church then, shall I?"

She nodded and kept the smile plastered to her face until she was certain he was away down the hall. Her gaze dropped down to the box of chocolates and she wondered where things had gone so very wrong. She had hoped for awhile that _he_ was her secret admirer but it would seem that though there was a veneer of true friendship on the outside, things were still as stilted and awkward between them as ever.

"Well, there's nothing more to be done about it today," she said aloud to no one in particular, "You won't even get the chance to see the man again until Sunday!" With that, she pushed the chocolates to the back of her desk and pulled out the rotas and correspondence.

-o O o-

Things remained quiet at the hospital and Isobel had just finished teaching her class and was pulling on her coat and hat when there was a sharp rap and Toby Miner poked his head around the office door.

"Mrs. Crawley, here let me help you," he said with a broad smile as he walked over and held her coat for her.

"Toby, it is so good to see you! No badger bites or cuts and bruises?" she asked returning his smile.

"Not these days, _Nurse_ Crawley," he said with a chuckle, referring to his childhood when he'd spent many a day being stitched or bandaged up by the doctor and his nurse, "I'm in training."

"In training?"

"Dr. Clarkson has arranged for me to work down in the x-ray," he said and looked around the office. "As a matter of fact, I have a set of films that Dr. Clarkson sent over this morning."

"He's over seeing patients in the cottage office this afternoon, can I help you?"

"There's something funny on these films and I think he should have a look at them right away. I'll just go and get my coat," said the young man as he glanced nervously from her desk to the large manila folder in his hands.

"I'm just leaving, Toby, I can take them by the cottage now, on my way home," she said and held out her hand.

"Yes, well, I guess that would be alright but be sure to tell him that these are the films he asked for the special delivery?"

"I'll make sure he knows that you're doing a good job, my dear," she said with a chuckle and swept out the door.

-o O o-

Though it was a bit after regular office hours, Isobel found the door of the cottage unlocked and she let herself into the large room that doubled as his sitting room and the office waiting room.

Allowing her eyes to adjust to the dim lighting, she noticed that the small oak table that was usually pushed against the far wall had been pulled out and was laid with linen and fine china. The soft candlelight revealed place settings for two at one end of the table where a bottle of wine had been opened and was standing to breathe. That was when she noticed the smell of something sumptuous coming from the kitchen.

"Richard?" she called out hesitantly.

"Isobel?" She heard him reply from the kitchen.

"Yes," she managed to get out around the catch in her throat. "Toby Miner dropped these x-rays by the office and said that you should look at them right away."

"Very well, would you mount them on the light box in the examination room and I'll be right there."

She took a deep breath to calm herself and wondered why it should come as such a surprise that Richard would have a dinner date. Especially after she had so firmly put him in his place when she thought he was going to propose to her at the fair in Thirsk last summer. She was still standing and staring at the table when he came through the kitchen door.

"Expecting someone special?" she asked in a hoarse whisper.

Richard hesitated a moment before replying, "I think she's rather special." Reaching out, he took the manila folder from her hands and gestured towards the examination room. "Let's have a look, shall we." Feeling rather numb, she allowed him to lead her into the next room and watched as he flicked the switch on the light box and mounted the film under the clip.

"That's odd, would you come have a look at this?" His voice seemed to come from a distance.

Swallowing around the lump in her throat she squared her shoulders before moving to stand beside him. She had been the one to make her bed of _friendship_ _only_ with him, now it was time for her to lie in it. Blinking away the tears that threatened to fill her eyes, she looked confidently at the x-ray hanging before her.

_Isobel –_

_With hair of gold and lips of wine,_

_My heart you've captured for all time._

_Will you be My Valentine?_

_- Richard_

She closed her eyes for a moment and then opened them, not quite believing what she was seeing.

"I don't understand," she murmured, still staring intently at the x-ray in front of her.

He moved to stand behind her and leaned in to whisper, "Do you remember the advice that you gave to young Dr. MacMillan about his Nurse Marjorie? _Even practical girls want to be wooed_."

She turned to look up at him quizzically and he continued, "You were right, you know, I was going to propose to you, that afternoon at the fair. It wasn't until I'd overheard you talking with Dr. MacMillan that I realized I had taken you for granted. That I had assumed your practical nature would see what I saw, would feel the same way that I did, when we'd spent that spring and summer in each other's company. But I hadn't wooed you the way a suitor should and for that I am truly sorry."

"Oh, Richard," she said quietly and leaned her forehead against his shoulder, still not sure that if she was able to take it all in. "I don't know what to say."

He laughed and slipped his arms around her. "At least say you'll stay to supper!"

The feeling of being held in a man's arms, the scent of his cologne, the rumble of his laughter as he spoke in her ear…it was all too much and she felt herself go weak in the knees and sag against his chest.

"Isobel? Are you alright?" he asked in a panic when he felt her slump in his arms. Feeling her shake her head back and forth, he looked down to find her pale and shaking. "Come, let's get you out of this coat, you can lie down on the sofa." Supporting her with an arm around the waist, they managed to walk into the sitting room where he helped her off with her coat and hat. Plumping the pillows into the corner of the sofa, he lifted her feet so that she could recline against them. "Better?"

"Much," she said with a nod of her head, "Thank you, Richard, I don't know what came over me."

"It's been a rather exciting day for you, I should think," he said ruefully, "And I didn't help any by springing my surprise on you."

"It was a…_surprise_! I'm still not sure I understand…"

Richard walked over and poured a glass of wine before speaking. "After hearing your conversation with Dr. MacMillan, I realized that perhaps you thought I saw you _only_ as a doctor's wife, someone who would understand and put up with my crazy hours, the demands on my attention, being called out in the middle of the night for an emergency…and that is _so far_ from what I was really seeing and thinking."

He walked over to stand beside the sofa and handed her the glass of wine. She shifted her legs over and patted the cushion beside her knees and he sat down alongside her.

"Isobel…from the moment I met you, I thought you were the most beautiful woman I had ever seen, your golden hair and your brown eyes, the way they light up when you smile…" He cleared his throat and then took the glass of wine from her when she offered it. "I thought it wouldn't be fair to subject you to all that, to being a doctor's wife…I thought you deserved better than that. And then we spent that spring and summer together, getting to know one another, talking and understanding each other, without having to explain," he said with a raised eyebrow, reminding her of her own words. "I thought that you _knew_, that you understood how I felt about you and that I was even more in love with you having spent all that time getting to know you and so…I _didn't_ explain myself."

She reached out and took the wine glass from him and set it on the table beside the sofa and then took his hands into both of hers and settled them on her lap. Looking down at their clasped hands gave him the courage to go on.

"Isobel, I would like very much to court you…properly…if you'll allow me," he said quietly, not daring to look her in the face for fear of seeing rejection in her eyes, _again_.

"I think I'd like that very much as well, Richard…Richard? Look at me…please?" she asked as she reached out to cup his cheek and lift his face so she could look into his eyes. Smoothing an unruly tuft of his hair back behind his ear she went on, "We don't really have to start with all the usual walking out nonsense, do we? Don't you think we're a little old for that?" She smiled warmly at him as her hand smoothed down from his ear to his neck and then down the front of his chest until it came back to rest on his hand clasped in her lap.

"I was rather hoping you might feel that way," he grinned and leaned forward, "And since I've already delivered the flowers, the chocolates, and the poetry, I thought we might start right…about…here…" he leaned closer to her with each word until their noses almost touched and then he covered her mouth with a slow sweet kiss. "Happy Valentine's Day, Isobel," he whispered as he pressed her back against the sofa and kissed her again.

* * *

_**A/N2: I hope that perhaps Mr. Fellowes is still trolling FFnet and will take a hint for how to work out the issues between these two for Series 4. A review would not go unnoticed if you were to leave me a tiny word as to whether or not you enjoyed the story. THANKS! **_


End file.
